The war for your television's operating system (or, the operating system / platform you use to display content on it) is heating up. CES saw a refresh of the loved SHIELD Android TV console, and a new such box from Dish. We also saw Alexa on TVs, as well as continued attempts by the likes of Samsung and LG to push their own smart TV solutions.

So, I wanted to get a snapshot of what kind of smart TV system you're using here at the beginning of 2017. I'm allowing multiple answers on this poll, because I think people definitely may use a variety of platforms depending on both the TV and the content they're consuming, as not all platforms offer all services or features.

It might help if the maximum number of choices was increased from 1 if it's going to use checkboxes.

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I don't like smart tvs, I prefer using a standard tv with an external device, if the device gets broken I replace only that and not the whole tv and vice versa...

FurrTheBear

Still using my WD TV boxes with the WDLXTV firmware. I've never seen the point to any of these "smart tv" devices that can't play media - including DVD ISOs - from my NAS, or which make doing so a hassle.

Leon

I'm using an older model dumb Samsung LCD. No smarts to get confused with, just plenty of HDMI ports.

Plugged in a Nexus Player and it's doing everything I need it to.

Mace Moneta

My TV is smart and I have a Chromecast, but I almost exclusively use Kodi on a Raspberry Pi.

We heard a really interesting story about ADT-1 at CES. Tl;dr, it was actually meant to be the Nexus Player, then Google cancelled it for some reason. It was originally going to have this weird remote with a giant trackpad on it, and Android TV was planned to have a lot of gesture control built in. Then Google decided not to do that. True story!

Nick Felker

Glad they didn't make the same mistakes as Google TV.

Matthew Scott Smith

I wish Google would stick to their guns and actually see products through all the way, and maintain them.

I've got 2 Nexus Players in my home, and absolutely love them. It's nice that the bootloader is unlockable so it opens up the ability for devs to support them after Google stops. But the Android TV interface is honesty really clean, and the idea behind the layout really works.

I just wish more app devs (Netflix, looking at you) would utilize more of the Android TV-specific stuff so that the integration would be better. I think with Google Assistant, we might see simpler and more integration.

portalpirate

TBH it explains why the Android TV app has a trackpad option even though it has pretty much no use at all given that there's no web browser on the platform and all apps seem to be built with remote control support in mind.

JPLoureiro

So that's why the Shield TV ended up with a useless touchpad on the gamepad... :(

Zouz

No, they just used the existing one they had for the Shield Tablet.

JPLoureiro

I wonder if Nvidia was lead to believe they could actually use gestures on their products and then Google pulled the ol'switcheroo...

Anyway, I hope someday someone can hack or mod it so we can have mouse input.

Stefan Constantinescu

Roku and an antenna. My TV lets me Chromecast to it out of the box.

enoch861

What happened to an option for Consoles? I would think they're prominent enough to have their own checkbox.

I have a Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and LG TV WebOS. I primarily use the Fire TV (mostly for Kodi) and WebOS since it has Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play. I like the Apple TV UI the most, going to attempt to get Kodi on there sometime soon and see how it goes.

Used Chromecast before and just don't really like having to use either my computer, tablet, or phone as the remote.

Knowledgeborn Allah

I have a Smart TV and Chromecasts (including one Chromecast Ultra) in every room. I rarely even use the "smart" features built into the TV, though, unless I'm watching Netflix in 4K. For everything else, Chromecast works fine for me.

Some Samsung TVs also have Chromecast "built-in". Although I've had inconsistent success using my Samsung TV as a Chromecast receiver.

Some apps work, others don't even recognize the TV as a receiver, unlike the actual Chromecast device, which works with any app.

llamallama

That isn't Chromecast, it's DLNA which also shows up on Android.

Matthew Scott Smith

Actually, that's not correct.

Samsung uses their own proprietary OS for their TVs, and while some units have Chromecast built-in, I've also noticed some units only have Youtube TV built-in. Not sure if that's what you're referring to, @disqus_EbS1WcRJx9:disqus, but I know someone who's experienced something similar.

@disqus_LKtEbllOd3:disqus, DLNA is something that can be used on Android devices, but it's not native to the OS and apps actually have to specifically support it for it to work.

That's a truly ignorant statement. When was the last time you have used TiVo? Do you even know what market segments TiVo is relevant in? And can you specify the market segments that are particularly relevant to the AP audience?

TiVo is a major player in the cord-cutting arena and has one of the best (I argue "the best" but will concede that it's debatable) whole-house DVR solutions available for those who can make use of OTA broadcasts.

I truly haven't even heard of TiVo being a thing since the early 2000's when DVR's became popular. Had no idea they were still around.

tintin.92

Between my LG WebOS tv (which has Netflix, Amazon and Hulu) and my original Xbox One (which has CWTV), I see little need for a dedicated streaming box/stick.

RenatoFontesTapia

I used a chromecast a while ago but one day it stopped connecting. Now I use the system that comes with my samsung tv. I don't like it a lot, but it lets me see netflix so its ok... If I want to watch anything else I connect my laptop. :)

grizzlyjon83

Just got a Fire TV to replace our Nexus Player for Christmas, and we're loving it.

iluvthesoftsoft

I have 3 main TV's in our house. One has a shield TV, the other two have rokus and Chromecasts. Gonna buy 2 more shield TV's and getting rid of the Chromecasts and rokus. Android TV is a great platform and the Shields are the best hardware. The overall experience is phenomenal.

Nexus Player here, though I use my TV as my computer monitor so most of the time I'm just using the computer.

daburghit

There was no Google TV option...

Luis Armando (WEK’SOS)

Nexus Player still going strong, planing to replace it with the NewOld Shield TV, my in-laws are still loving their Nexus Player that we gifted them over a year ago.

David Onter

Remix Mini :)

DKS

The cable company's DVR might not fit in with the devices you have in mind, but it would have been interesting to include it to see how that factors into the trends you see between now and the next survey.

So, Kodi does almost everything you need and is definitely useful for certain plugins, and you can pretty much install it on any device, but the UI just isn't very elegant or user friendly. I'd rather watch my personal tv show/movie collection via Plex.

I'm sure that I'm missing something - what are the killer Kodi features that I'm not using?

blitz4075

You're missing the theme support of Kodi.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

I switch between my gaming console... My Samsung TV and 4K Chromecast. When I had my Xbox One set up with Kinect nothing was better than controlling those services by voice only... Pause, Play etc...

Andy Shokry

Mi Box FTW!

charfarstar

Fire TV Stick, just for Kodi.
Chromecast for everything else.

Bruce Wayne

My Sony 4K TV has Android TV built in which I love.

Andy

yeah, that is the smoothest smart tv interface out there.

SimonPieman

Tried it, it's horrible, laggy and crashes often.

Ammar

Not to mention it's running Android 5 in most regions. The fragmentation issues with the platform apparently extend to televisions as well.

Roku for both Amazon and Google access, Chromecast for the times I want to cast. Shield TV lists Amazon so I'm guessing that works now (or could you always sideload it like on the phone?) so it is tempting to replace all in one. But I just need a lower powered one w/o the game controller. And some confidence from Google since they never replaced the damn Nexus Player

Browsing through the comments it seems the NVidia Shield TV is way more popular than I expected. Might have to check it out. I assumed it was tanking like that "Ooua" thing did.

Andy

wish i could put kodi on the roku.

Odoyle

This is why I no longer have a roku...

KeKyKo

NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV, YAHOOO!

Rami

Raspberry pi 3 with Kodi, best smart thing ever.

MauricioSRB

I love my Shield tv is the best, but is more expansive :s

me me

Bought the cheapest TV at supermarket, bought the cheapest refurbished Chromecast, and bought the cheapest mobile. They work really well together. I download videos on the cheapest server, Raspberry Pi and my 2008 WD 250GB drive still works. Streaming 1K looks great.

What is there to improve exactly?

JL

The mi box is far better than the chromecast...

Atoqir

LG WebOS

John Travolta

I started with an rpi, moved to a Minix box and just ordered the new Shield TV

leganzish

I'm surprised 14% of us (at the time of post) use a dedicated media server/desktop OS. Didn't expect it to be that high!

Sudev

The audience of the poll (reader of the site androidpolice.com) is highly technical in nature, so I am not surprised to see it.

leganzish

Of course. But even considering the readership, I expected that number to be well below 10%. Many of my friends are also highly technical, and only 1 of them has a dedicated media server. I guess my friends are not the norm as I expected.

Sudev

Even though I've not voted, it shows results directly to me and not allowing me to vote...
But my vote would be OEM Smart TV Solution. (Sony)

SimonPieman

WebOS3. It totally destroys anything else I have seen, including Android and AppleTV. It's very very fast.

Funem

You should check out the Shield TV, it wipes the floor with everything I have seen. The thing about Android TV boxes is there is no one box, unlike Apple TV, its down to the manufacturer. Shield TV runs ports of Borderlands 2, Doom 3, Portal and Half life, I also can output in 4k. I don't know any other TV device that even comes close.

Ammar

"Shield TV runs ports of Borderlands 2, Doom 3, Portal and Half life"

Why though? It's a TV. Playing borderlands natively isn't a top priority when shopping for a TV.

Funem

For the price of the device having it at as smart TV and a games console in one is a bargain. I pointed out the fact it can run the ports to show how powerful the device is. It can output in 4k and can be used as a Plex server, I also use mine to access my NAS device on the network and stream virtually any digital media to it, and has access to all the streaming media apps (BBC, Netflix etc) Netflix also outputs in 4k from the device. The Shield can also be used as a Chromecast. So even without the gaming aspect it still blows everything else away.

Ammar

While I agree it's more versatile than other platforms, but it's still a tough sell at $200 when a built-in OS like the Samsung Tizen does most of what you've mentioned.

Funem

I'd rather not get an inbuilt OS on the TV as they are never as powerful and have a history of poor support, they are also less flexible than external options and rely on support from content providers for the widgets and apps they can use. I could buy a dumb TV which cost less and put the money I save into the external option. I have had a few smart TV's including Samsung and LG and they lack flexibility. My LG TV for instance has a BBC app that runs on it, and has never worked since they initially updated the TV and has never worked even after a number of updates, BBC have said they will not be updating the App to work.

sklatigre

Sheild TV isn't a TV. It's a settop box like a Nexus Player or Apple TV.

FuckenJoe

Not as fast me saying hey google play minions on my tv.

Mike Bastable

LG WebOS is perfect.

gladgura

The Nvidia Shield TV has been the best purchase I ever made! Even though I bought back in August, 2015 , it still feels new with new features being added with Nvidia's upgrades. BEST $200 I've ever spent on tech that lasted this long! Best of all I don't have to buy the 2017 version to get all the new features. I will however have to at the very least get the newer controller in order to get Google Assistant. But hey I was in the market for a second controller for my Nvidia Shield TV anyway.

anees

I got my mi box imported from the US to UK and arrived a few days ago and I have to be honest was pretty disappointed as most of the UK steaming services such as BBC iPlayer is only Nvidia shield exclusive. Other then that I think android tv has a lot on potential.

Cakefish

Fire TV is pretty great. The UI recently got a nice redesign which looks great. The only major bugbear I have is the lack of Now TV support (Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Westworld).

But Roku's top product in the UK is still the severely outdated Roku 3, which is why I avoided it as the US has a fifth gen Roku by now. Not willing to support the company until they offer the UK market the same hardware.

I already own a gaming PC so no point in buying a Shield TV for over twice the price of a Fire TV. And there's nothing that any other Android TV box can offer over the Fire TV, with Amazon's Prime benefits.

Few Chromecasts at home and recently a cheap Android box, but going to invest in the new Shield.

Nary

Chromecast and Raspberry pi + kodi (connected to a local NAS with another rasp pi)

C64

Nvidia Shield TV in the living room, raspberry pi3 with libreElec in the bedroom. I also maintain my parents MXQ 805 box from my parents (it runs OpenElec).

jonzey231

I've been slowly accumulating different platforms. First it was consoles only, then Chromecast, then a Nexus Player (which is now bricked from an Nougat Dev Preview 1 bug), tried a Roku Stick for a couple days and returned it because it just felt archaic, now a Vizio E Series with Chomecast Built-In, and this weekend I got my free Apple TV from DirecTV Now which is surprisingly pretty cool too. The kicker is that there are only two televisions with what seems like 8 ways to do the same thing lol.

And now I really want to try out the Shield since my Vizio E Series is UHD. I will say, the best thing about having Chromecast Built In is that it's a Chromecast Ultra Built In. It'll cast in UHD as long as the service and content itself are also UHD.

Now I'm just rambling but FYI, Netflix says you have to have 25mbps to stream UHD video. Well I've only got 15mbps and I'm able to get it with a Cat5 cable going from the router to the TV.

FireTV Stick with Kodi is primary. Other areas of the house have chromecast, htpc, and console

Heiro78

I use both a fire TV stick and chromecast. The mirroring on the fire TV is lackluster so thats why i still use a chromecast from last year and since i recently got prime i go the stick to make the most of it.

cr08

Nexus Player household here. Primary applications are Plex and Live Channels. Got an HDHomerun Prime and cable service with WOW which doesn't lock down their channels so I can access our full lineup on the NP. It does live TV perfectly and then Plex I have doing recordings via the new DVR builds. Also passing through a 5.1 receiver and it's been working beautifully.

Never been a huge fan of the Chromecast's method of operation. Even as a techie myself I much prefer a simple remote and 10 foot interface to navigate. The only case I've ever found that it becomes useful is going over to a friend or relative's house that has a compatible receiver. So far I've had good luck with both a Roku 4 and a Samsung Smart TV playing back from Plex and Youtube via my phone.

Rupa Schomaker

Mi box!

BoFiS

Other = TiVo Bolt, which handles every single smart app and streaming service I need, and can even be a Cast-receiver...that and then everything can still be controlled with my remote!

Jason Bell

I've long been using a combination of devices, but I pre-ordered the Shield TV. I'm pretty sure it will cover everything.

Nick Riley

Though I kind of started to hate my Philips TV for several reasons, I really love the idea of an embedded Android TV including a fully functional Chromecast. I believe that is a very underrated system and all current existing issues with it are caused by OEMs themselves.. Philips, Sony and others screwed it up... They should really learn from the NVidia guys who have proven that Android TV is a serious TV platform when in good hands.

Bewear

A computer connected to a dumb TV via HDMI. Does that count?

dhamp2g

These are pretty small numbers compared to what I thought they would be

RuanCaiman

I got a $50 clearance Nexus Player when my PS3 died. Really annoyed that there is no user-friendly way to get Amazon Instant video on AndroidTV, so we mostly still use our internet-enabled Blu-Ray player. Also disappointed in quality of most Android games, and stability of games on the NP. I would get a Shield if it were $80 or less, but can't justify spending 2/3 the cost of a real gaming system to get a streamer with games. Probably won't upgrade until I need a new TV, and then it will be whatever's built in to the TV.

motoridersd

Since I run a Plex server, I found Roku to have the best integration with my Harmony remote and Alexa (through a custom built script for Plex, with a full official Plex skill coming soon). My favorite part of Roku is its ability to launch a specific media app with a remote (or Alexa through Harmony).

I used to use Kodi to play my media directly, but missed out on syncing watch positions and status across Plex devices. I do wish Roku would up their UI game.

I take a Roku Stick with me when I travel and I've been gifting them to friends and family because it's so easy to use (and they can access my Plex server very easily from anywhere in the world)

Brushrop03

That's interesting. I use my Xbox to voice control and navigate Plex, but may consider Roku in other rooms.

The Harmony cannot control non-IR Rokus, unfortunately. This includes the Roku Stick. Hopefully they will fix this, since Roku has a full WiFi accessible HTTP API (this is how the Alexa skill I'm using right now interacts with it)

Harry Graul

It depends on where I am. At home I have a choice between my trusty Chromecast and the built in Vizio smart platform. The Vizio does Netflix, Amazon Video, and YouTube natively, and fills most or all of my needs. At the camper, from April to 1 November Chromecast takes care of everything except Amazon. Hell, I'm camping, there has to be some sacrifice.

Brushrop03

Chromecast in my bedroom/office and Xbox one in my living room. Considering the Shield in the future.

XDAMM

Is it weird that I don't even own a TV? All my media consumption is done through my PC and smartphone.

El Presidente

Not really. If I didn't have a console plugged in to it, I wouldn't use my TV for anything either.

Thanks for this poll and making me realize how redundant all my crap is.

Lars Jeppesen

Plex??

Byrd

No Tivo? Really, it's does something others don't even try to do, like suggestions. Smart box

Gary Graf

I picked 5 choices

ePoch 270

Chromecast dongle, Fire TV for Amazon prime video and Dish has built in Netflix apps. Next generation Dish STB has Netflix and Amazon apps and I can cast screen , so I probably won't ever buy a device again

derk p

other for me being regular ol laptop to hdmi

Richard Markert

I use a shield tv, a mi box and an xbox one. Can't seem to understand how a chrome cast is used

I use Chromecast built-in and Android TV build-in on my Sony W870c in Japan. Here you have no Samsung and the LG choice is pretty thin. Same for Android TV boxes, no Shield TV for example.

So decided to go with a TV with all of those things embedded. Sony is pretty slow with updates on TV though.

I also face some restrictions. For example I imported a Google Assistant from the US. I can cast a show through voice commands on a regular Chromecast but not to Chromecast built-in nor Android TV for now as the Japanese models didn't receive the updates to enable that (it was released in the US a few weeks ago) as Google Assistant is not sold here.

troyintn

Ive checked out most of the options in the poll. I have to say that I really love the 2016 Tizen based Samsung smart tvs. For functionality including the great remote control which controls by blu ray home theater and cable box perfectly.

Alex De La Rosa

I used to use Chromecast but casting anything was such a pain and slow so now I just use my PS4 instead

Nathan J

If you can afford it, a PC is always going to be the best solution as far as services offered. Not convenience or obviously price. However, I live in an apartment, and my PC sits between my monitor and my TV. I wanted the TV as the second monitor, but based on the way Windows/my GPU works, the TV is actually recognized as the primary video output. (That's not a big deal. I have Windows set to mirror the display.) So when we watch stuff on the computer, I just switch the input on the TV to the PC and use Unified Remote. It does everything we need to control the TV, and we have it installed on my iPhone, my wife's Droid Turbo 2, and our Nexus 7.

We use her Xbox One for Netflix and YouTube. Better UI. We could use the Chromecast for both, with either phone or tablet. In fact that would be easier, but we just never think to do it. We could bounce the Chromecast right out and have been considering gifting it to someone we know who might need it more. I can't say enough good things about it, but it's just not needed in our setup. In the bedroom we have a Nexus Player with Kodi (actually we have Kodi on the desktop computer too, as well as the Droid and the Nexus tablet — can't get it on iPhone for obvious reasons).

Alfu™

I got philips android TV with a build in GoogleCast, I got Chromecast ultra and roku stick too but I don't use the latter. The Chromecast ultra does the job very well. The TV has build in netflix YouTube BBC iPlayer etc but I find the Google Cast on TV very weird sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't hence I bought the Chromecast ultra. The shield is good but why should I ditch my Chromecast ultra for the shield? It does the job very well.

Sharky

I bought a 2016 Sony Android TV but was quite disappointed with the smart functionality, found even basic functions like the TV guide or playing files from a HDD to be quite slow and buggy, wouldn't even find most of my files. Regret switching from my Samsung which generally worked despite not having all the functionality I was looking for.

I've now set up the TV pass through on my Xbox One and run everything through that, works like a dream and does everything I would've wanted Android TV to do. Only thing I miss is number buttons on the remote.

xxTheGoDxx

250 Euro two year old silent as fuck Windows 10 PC with Kodi installed.

HeyRadar

Odd that Android TV is 2nd place. Given the extremely limited number of Android TV devices that are available, this makes the poll results sound rigged.

Half of those things aren't even "Smart TV systems", but I use a game console and a Slingbox, so I voted for those anyway (along with "I don't use any smart tv platforms").

Curt

Xbox for on demand stuff, Kodi (On Fire TV) for everything else.

Amazon apps at least for TV are HORRENDOUS to use.

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